Premier League: 10 things to watch out for this weekend

United must match ambition with effort

Bruno Fernandes complained that last week’s Manchester derby defeat was down to the “individual quality of City players”. It’s hard to argue, but the most frustrating part of United’s defeat was their failure to score for 90 minutes. With the score at 2-1, even some senior players looked with their heads down and lacked effort in the last 15 minutes. Leave aside the individual quality, this in itself is inexcusable. And this attitude only stimulates future competitors. Jordan Pickford says he is confident Everton will move on from Erik ten Hag on Saturday. “I guess for me [with] men’s intensity and work rate, running statistics. I think we can go after them. “We will be able to pass all of this.” Yara El-Shaboury

Luton want to thwart Palace’s expectations

Until it was breached by the unlikely figure of Timo Werner at Tottenham last week, optimism in Oliver Glasner’s opening winner against Burnley had Crystal Palace fans dreaming of plenty of safety on the bench in the Premier League. “Great job over 60-70 minutes,” the manager said. A 3-1 defeat against Spurs has diminished expectations for Palace, especially given Burnley’s poor form. Beating Luton would go some way to rebuilding confidence and pull the plug on Rob Edwards’ team, whose confidence is waning. Defeat to Aston Villa last week after coming back from two goals down to draw level may serve as a small example of Luton’s spirit to fall short in the face of adversity. Defeating Palace at Kenilworth Road in November, their first home league win, was a key part of Luton’s rise. This will have to happen again if Glasner’s team and others can be dragged into trouble again. John Brewin

Hughes will be a big loss for Bournemouth

A huge story broke at Bournemouth this week when it was confirmed that manager Richard Hughes would remain in his role at the end of the season. Apart from Eddie Howe, arguably no one has been more influential in shaping the club at the highest level than former midfielder Hughes, who played under Howe and later worked closely with him. It was Hughes who drove the appointment of Andoni Iraola, who impressed after a difficult start and was the architect behind recruitments including the eye-catching arrivals of exciting talents such as Alex Scott, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi. Hughes, who is highly respected throughout the game, will pass the baton to another former player, Simon Francis, who has served as his assistant for the past three years. Such collective thinking has been in short supply at bottom club Sheffield United for some time. Ben Fisher

The story continues

Small squad hurting Wolves’ big dreams

After three wins on the return trip, Wolves suffered a devastating 3-0 defeat at Newcastle last time out. This was the kind of match where almost anything could go wrong, with José Sá and Pedro Neto struggling through injury. The good news for Gary O’Neil is that both of these substitutions are precautionary measures, but the bad news is that he still doesn’t have a bona fide striker. 19-year-old academy forward Nathan Fraser is the only known No.9 player, with Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan likely to be sidelined until May with hamstring problems. Their numbers are so light that Wolves have selected 15-year-old defender Wesley Okoduwa from the St James’ Park bench. Wolves are targeting a European team that looked beyond them at the start of the season, but ultimately their weak squad could sabotage those plans. boyfriend

Havertz successful in Arsenal’s bid for the top

Kai Havertz seems to have finally found his place at Arsenal and has adapted to the rhythm of the Premier League. Doubts were raised about his ability after an overall lackluster performance at Chelsea, and poor performances earlier in the season did not help. But Mikel Arteta’s faith has never wavered and it is finally paying off. In Arsenal’s last three Premier League matches – thumping wins over Burnley, Newcastle and Sheffield United – Havertz has five goals, equal to the number in the previous 32. The German is improving and seems to prefer being a scout with the team. Hunted. Arsenal, who were top of the table this time last year, are starting to crack. They finally have a chance to get back to the top and this time they need to not let the pressure get to them. With Liverpool and Manchester City facing each other on Sunday, Arsenal can put them one step ahead with a win against Brentford. YES

Big competition in the Champions League race

When team news dropped 75 minutes before kick-off at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday, it offered a key indication of what Unai Emery was thinking and how important he views Tottenham’s visit to Villa Park on Sunday. Captain John McGinn, in-form forward Leon Bailey and full-backs Matty Cash and Alex Moreno started the game on the bench, while 20-year-old midfielder Tim Iroegbunam made his second start almost two years after his debut. Spurs are five points behind fourth-placed Villa but have a game in hand, so a home win would create a nice buffer between them and their nearest rivals for a Champions League place. Villa won the reverse fixture in November thanks to goals from Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins and a replay would be invaluable. boyfriend

New faces expected on West Ham wings

West Ham have some talented youngsters and it was a shame that David Moyes could not bring any players off the bench in the last win against Brentford. In the 69th minute it was 4-1 and George Earthy, Ollie Scarles and Divin Mubama were waiting on the bench. But Moyes remained cautious. He needed a win after a poor run of results and the closing stages became tense as Brentford pulled a goal back. But if West Ham are in a similarly dominant position against Burnley on Sunday, it would be nice to see Moyes give his young players a taste of first-team action. Jacob Steinberg

Will Clattenburg be back in the spotlight?

Whether Mark Clattenburg moves onto the Amex Stadium mixed zone, which can easily be located next to the dressing rooms and press conference facilities, may depend on whether Nottingham Forest will be given fair notice of the referee’s whistle at Brighton. Following last week’s 99th-minute concession against Liverpool, the Gladiators TV star’s appearance in the mixed zone of the City Ground raised the eyebrows of even the most on-duty reporters. Appointed by team owner Evangelos Marinakis, following a friendship formed while the Durham-carded player was working as the referee chief of the Greek Super League, Forest’s role as “referee analyst” appears to be the latest and most unwelcome development in modern football. Determination to referee every match again. The fact that Clattenburg and other former referees have had such colorful post-referee careers and increasingly public lives is another dimension to the wider universe of the Premier League. Add all this to the increasingly unpredictable situations that the introduction of VAR brings into play. J.B.

Will City exorcise the demons at Anfield?

Anfield goes to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City and Anfield knows it. The all-conquering City manager has won just one of his eight visits since taking over at the Etihad in 2016, and that 4-1 defeat was a crucial moment in reclaiming the title from Liverpool in 2021. Empty stadium due to the epidemic. In an arena as packed and frenzied as it was on Sunday, Guardiola’s record at Liverpool is: loss, loss, loss, draw, loss, draw, loss. This is a place where Liverpool pressure, refereeing decisions, missed penalties and unrewarded spells of dominance broke Guardiola’s temperament and laid the foundations for his reputation for needless tinkering. The City manager said his champions must focus only on what they can control as they chase an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title. A cool-headed approach in the heat of Anfield, where Jurgen Klopp’s leaders are unbeaten in 29 games in all competitions, will not only tip the title race in City’s favour, but also represent a departure for them. Andy Hunter

Newcastle’s leaky defense faces stern test

Newcastle’s previous trip to London had not gone well; Arsenal’s 4-1 defeat exposed many flaws and left Eddie Howe open to questions about his future. But the reaction was reasonable. Newcastle beat Blackburn on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and they hope last weekend’s impressive 3-0 win over Wolves is a sign of things to come. Old consistency needs to return to secure European qualification for the second season in a row. Newcastle still concede too many goals. They have kept only three clean sheets since the start of the season and will be without Kieran Trippier against Chelsea, who remain dangerous in attack despite being under pressure due to their weaknesses in other areas. J.S.